Rockville's Pike Charrette a Success

Highlights of the Charrette Process
The Rockville’s Pike Community Design Charrette was tailored to provide the widest range of opportunities for public input over a short period of time. It built upon the months of earlier public engagement, which provided a solid foundation of technical analysis, as well as publicly-endorsed development principles that informed the plan for the Pike.

Approximately 450 individuals contributed to this effort by attending public meetings and providing valuable input. More than 120 people paid visits to the design studio to speak with staff and the consultant team and provide feedback. The charrette was a successful and intensive effort, and enjoyed a large amount of community and public input.

The charrette team accomplished progress toward realizing the vision to make Rockville’s portion of the Pike a safe, eco-friendly, unique and pleasant destination. Members of the public who have contributed to this process include Rockville’s residents and business owners, employees who work along the pike, as well as many others. Representatives from the State and Highway Administration (SHA), members of Montgomery County Park and Planning, representatives from Ride-On, and others also contributed.

Charrette Events
The Rockville’s Pike Community Design Charrette built upon months of earlier public engagement (including the December Kick-off Meeting, the February Stakeholder Workshop, and two Reports to the Community), which provided a foundation of technical analysis and endorsed development principles for the Pike. These ten principles are the foundation of of the plan. The charrette gave community members the chance to build on this foundation, and contribute to the development of design solutions that will form the basis of the draft plan for Rockville's Pike.

Overall Study Area Findings
When examining conditions along Rockville Pike, it became apparent that the corridor could be divided into three distinct sections: North Pike, Middle Pike and South Pike. Each of these sections has a unique set of transportation, economic, and land use conditions and challenges. The three sections are consistent with the organization of the 1998 plan and are described below.

The north section of the Pike extends from the Dodge Street/Richard Montgomery intersection to Edmonston Drive. Here, the Pike is a six-lane divided highway with left turn lanes at intersections. Small shopping centers and office buildings characterize the North Pike; it exhibits lower rents than the South Pike, and includes a mix of national and local retail tenants. It has a concentration of auto dealers, local ethnic restaurants, and specialty shops. Though new development continues to occur, it is on a relatively small scale due in part to the size of parcels. Lots on the east side of the Pike adjacent the Metrorail right-of-way are particularly shallow, while the west side features larger block sizes. The northernmost area of the North Pike is within walking distance from the Rockville Metro Station. Pedestrian access, however, is made difficult by the complex geometry of the Veirs Mill Road/Rockville Pike intersection that creates a de-facto barrier to walking.

The middle section of the Pike is adjacent the Woodmont Country Club, extending from Edmonston Drive to the lot just south of Templeton Place. It is the narrowest portion of the Pike, with the smallest concentration of space and the fewest roadway connections. The east side of the Pike adjacent the Metrorail right-of-way is characterized by a single long block with very shallow commercial lots, while the west side of the Pike features a combination of multi-family and commercial uses that back onto the Woodmont Country Club.  Like the North Pike, the Middle Pike exhibits lower rents and smaller tenants than the South Pike, and features a large number of locally-owned retail establishments.

The southern section of the Pike it is bordered by East Jefferson Street to the west and the Metrorail right-of-way to the east. The south Pike has a relatively well-developed street network, though its connections to thoroughfare streets such as Twinbrook Parkway are limited. The very large blocks found on the west side of the corridor present a potential opportunity for further expansion of the street network. The south Pike is the only portion of the study area with ready pedestrian access to a Metrorail station, as well as to the bus services that connect to the station. The south Pike is the dominant retail section of the corridor, featuring larger, national retail tenants that tend to serve as anchors in making Rockville Pike a retail destination. Retail rents in this section are the highest in the study area. The south Pike features some multi-family residential development such as those at Congressional Village. The Twinbrook Station redevelopment project will transform 26 acres surrounding the Twinbrook Metro station into a mixed-use, transit–oriented development area.

The different characteristics of the three sections of the Pike have an impact on how the plan addresses transportation and land use solutions and how future growth may be accommodated.

What is a Charrette?
The French word “charrette” means “cart” and is often used to describe
concentrated work effort expended by art and architecture students to meet a project deadline.

This use of the term is said to originate from the École des Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, where proctors circulated a cart, or “charrette,” to collect drawings from the students.